Zoning

News about Zoning, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Nov. 22, 2016

Elected parent council votes to approve major redrawing of school zones on Manhattan's Upper West Side; vote, coming after year of debate, is unlikely to end controversy over area's school zones and integration or to significantly reduce segregation. MORE

Nov. 9, 2016

New York City Education Dept announces it is moving forward with controversial plan to redraw Upper West Side elementary school zones. MORE

Nov. 8, 2016

Public School 191 on Manhattan's Upper West Side, which is at center of controversial plan to integrate wealthy and white students from nearby Public School 199 into mostly black, Hispanic and poor school, has received praise from several parents; wealthy parents, however, continue to express reservations (Series: A District Divided). MORE

Oct. 25, 2016

Paisley Park museum officially opens to public after Chanhassen, Minn, City Council approves zoning change. MORE

Oct. 18, 2016

Parent group calls on New York City Education Dept to take further steps in integrating Public Schools 191 and 452 on Manhattan's Upper West Side; proposals to enlarge mostly poor and minority school 191 and move mostly white 452 have drawn protests from some parents. MORE

Oct. 5, 2016

Opening of newly completed Paisley Park museum, in former studio of musician Prince, is delayed as Chanhassen, Minn, City Council postpones rezoning request. MORE

Aug. 8, 2016

Justice Dept investigates violation of federal religious land-use laws in Bensalem, Pa, after Bensalem Township zoning hearing board repeatedly denied Muslim congregation's application to build mosque in area despite approving other religious construction projects; suspected discrimination against Muslim community is compounded by political environment that has persecuted group. MORE

Jul. 26, 2016

David Dunlap Building Blocks column looks at factors, including construction of 40-story Equitable Building in Lower Manhattan, that drove creation of 1916 Zoning Resolution, United States first zoning code. MORE

Jun. 13, 2016

New York City Education Dept, in effort to balance school attendance, is mulling complicated proposal to move public schools and students on Upper West Side; plan, which would essentially rezone schools in neighborhood, is dividing neighbors. MORE

May. 26, 2016

New York City Buildings Dept orders DDG Partners to halt construction on luxury condominium tower on Upper East Side; stop-work order says developer has improperly created four-foot-wide lot to skirt zoning regulations and build taller structure than cited in plans. MORE

Apr. 23, 2016

Editorial supports Mayor Bill de Blasio's rezoning plan for East New York, Brooklyn, and applauds Councilman Rafael Espinal for his courage in backing it; holds neighborhood will be better off with strict zoning plan mandating affordable housing and programs to protect tenants from greedy landlords. MORE

Apr. 4, 2016

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column cites New York City's push toward loosening of building restrictions, combined with inclusion of affordable housing in new developments, as promising solution that could help make cities more accessible to all socioeconomic classes. MORE

Jan. 6, 2016

New York City Education Dept approves plan to rezone two Brooklyn schools, shifting Dumbo neighborhood from zone that serves Brooklyn Heights to one that serves Vinegar Hill; plan, which aims to alleviate crowding at mostly white elementary school, has raised complicated issues of gentrification, class and race. MORE

Dec. 17, 2015

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio administration officials defend his affordable housing plan at zoning hearing convened by New York City Planning Commission. MORE

Nov. 28, 2015

Editorial describes scene at community board meeting in East Harlem about rezoning plans proposed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, aimed at preserving affordable housing, where skepticism among renters was rampant; suggests meeting was emblematic of feelings of many city residents to plans; urges de Blasio to do more to reassure voters plans will be as effective as he claims. MORE

Nov. 24, 2015

New York City Education Dept says students receiving free or reduced-price lunches at Public School 307 in Brooklyn will be given admissions priority for half of seats in each class at school; announcement comes in response to concerns that plan to redraw two Brooklyn school zones would would push out poor students at school in favor of affluent white children. MORE

Nov. 21, 2015

New York City Education Dept announces seven schools will be allowed to reserve slots for low-income children or children from non-English speaking families, part of effort to address segregation in city schools; six of seven schools are unzoned and all of schools are elementary schools. MORE

Nov. 19, 2015

New York City Education Dept is dropping proposal to rezone several elementary schools on Upper West Side; proposal was met with outrage by parents, as it would have shifted many families from zone of high-performing school with predominantly white student population to school with mostly black and Hispanic demographic that was categorized 'persistently dangerous' for 2015 school year. MORE

Nov. 15, 2015

Real Estate Q&A answers questions from across New York on whether a co-op doorman should attempt to mediate a verbal dispute between residents, how to determine if one's residential street is also zoned for business, and legality of building cabana in private backyard of co-op unit. MORE

Oct. 5, 2015

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio visits St Rita's Roman Catholic Church in East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn to promote rezoning and development plan that would bring classrooms, parks, bike lanes and low-cost housing to area; residents, suspicious of gentrification sweeping other areas of Brooklyn, have regarded plan warily. MORE

Sep. 23, 2015

Plan to rezone area around two Brooklyn schools, moving students from mostly white PS 8 in Brookyn Heights to mostly black PS 307 nearby to relieve overcrowding, has drawn opposition from both communities; situation points to effects of gentrification on area and difficulty of integrating a single school in New York City which, despite its diversity, has a largely segregated school system. MORE

Sep. 22, 2015

Zoning rules proposed by de Blasio administration would require developers building in certain areas of New York City to set aside 25 percent of units for affordable housing; requirement, known as mandatory inclusionary housing, would first apply to East New York, Brooklyn, and is part of mayor's goal to create 80,000 affordable units by 2024. MORE

Sep. 8, 2015

The Appraisal column; many New York City property owners, who were given lucrative zoning variances in exchange for creating public spaces in buildings, have since closed or curtailed use of areas; notes Department of City Planning, which regulates privately owned public spaces, is often unaware of use violations. MORE

Jul. 8, 2015

Katonah, NY, small town in Westchester County, adopts zoning change limiting new retail stores to 4,000 square feet, effectively blocking plans by CVS Health to open larger outlet. MORE

Jul. 4, 2015

Many residents and business owners in hamlet of Katonah, NY, are opposing plans for large CVS Health store, fearing its arrival will force closing of Katonah's one independent drug store and local shops selling many of the items CVS would offer; opponents have collected petition signatures and local Town Board may vote on zoning amendment that would reduce scale of any new stores in downtown area. MORE

Aug. 4, 2014

Boom in barn weddings in rural areas across the country is pitting owners who say they need the revenue against neighbors who worry about noisy intrusions on rural life; grooms and brides say barns are part of cultural shift away from traditional weddings; some small towns with ambiguous zoning laws have been forced to examine their regulations to figure out whether renting barns for weddings is legal. MORE

Jul. 29, 2014

Bertram Dahl, self-described high priest of Paganism, is at odds with officials in Beebe, Ark, over opening a Pagan temple next to his house; says he is being discriminated against, but officials say dispute is simply over zoning regulations. MORE

Jun. 11, 2014

Editorial praises New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for reviving Michael Bloomberg's rezoning plan for East Midtown with a wiser approach; warns trick will be to balance ambitious growth with sensible preservation to make sure transportation grid is strengthened for an influx of workers. MORE

Jun. 8, 2014

The Upshot; New York City's inclusionary zoning program allows developers to build larger buildings than otherwise permitted if they set aside 20 percent of units for affordable housing; Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to make program mandatory, but housing activist Nathan Newman warns that program is economically wasteful, suggesting that developers be allowed to put cash into fund for more effective affordable housing elsewhere. MORE

Apr. 26, 2014

New York City Council has been a reliable ally and cheerleader for Mayor Bill de Blasio's agenda during his first few months in office, but some cracks have begun to show; skirmish over Council's role in approving development projects that require changes in the city’s zoning ordinances has caused Council to grapple with how close its working relationship should ultimately be with mayor. MORE

Dec. 16, 2013

Bloomberg administration is pursuing more than $12 billion worth of real estate projects in its waning days, in attempt to shore up Mayor Michael R Bloomberg's claim to having transformed face of New York City; diverse raft of projects epitomizes Bloomberg's focus on development, for which he has rezoned nearly 40 percent of the city during his 12-year tenure. MORE

Dec. 7, 2013

Federal judge rules that predominantly white village of Garden City, LI, intentionally discriminated against blacks and Hispanics when it enacted zoning change in 2004 favoring building of townhouses or single-family homes over modestly priced apartments. MORE

Dec. 3, 2013

Rep Darrell Issa proposes amending the 1910 Height of Buildings Act, which sharply limits height of buildings in Washington; defenders of law say it preserves unobstructed views of the capitol's historic architecture. MORE

Dec. 1, 2013

New zoning regulations will open Mexico's Guadalupe Valley to urban and suburban development, threatening character of rustic wine region; scientists say arid valley cannot sustain intensified development and many residents believe deal is part of familiar government corruption. MORE

Nov. 14, 2013

New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio pledges to work with City Council to rezone area around Grand Central Terminal after Bloomberg administration withdraws its plan for swath of Midtown glass towers that would dwarf Chrysler Building; proposed projects may still go forward, but de Blasio is said to want to review plans before proceeding. MORE

Nov. 13, 2013

Bloomberg administration is withdrawing proposal to rezone 73-block area in East Midtown Manhattan into district of sleek glass office towers, after facing City Council opposition; startling end-of-term setback for Bloomberg captures ascendency of a powerful liberal bloc in New York politics and demonstrates how swiftly Bloomberg's vision of corporate-friendly government has fallen out of favor. MORE

Nov. 11, 2013

Editorial contends New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal to rezone 73 blocks in East Midtown needs work; suggests City Council either refashions proposal or rejects it to allow the next mayor's input; cites concerns about plan, including possible transit bottlenecks, air rights of buildings, proper vetting of public spaces, and preservation of existing neighborhood. MORE

Oct. 24, 2013

Zoning ordinance that effectively bans hydraulic fracturing in Dryden, NY, is being challenged in court, and lawsuit could decide future of oil and gas industry in state; ruling in case before New York State Court of Appeals could settle long-simmering issue of whether state's municipalities can ban controversial drilling method. MORE

Oct. 22, 2013

Bloomberg administration is scrambling to gather enough City Council votes to enact mayor’s final plan for reshaping New York City skyline with new generation of ever-taller skyscrapers; proposal would rezone a 73-block area surrounding Grand Central Terminal and allow the kind of sleek skyscrapers the administration says are necessary for the city’s premier office district to stay competitive with other world capitals. MORE

Oct. 1, 2013

Editorial commends New Jersey Supreme Court for rejecting Gov Chris Christie's effort to undermine its 30-year-old-ruling in the Mount Laurel fair housing case, which limits use of exclusionary zoning to prevent construction of affordable housing; notes ruling has encouraged the construction of tens of thousands of homes for low- and moderate-income working families. MORE

Aug. 30, 2013

Op-Ed article by Prof Kenneth T Jackson warns New York City is in danger of losing its status as financial, cultural, media, retailing and fashion capital of the world because of local attitude that prefers preservation over development; contends those who oppose rezoning changes like the East Midtown plan do not understand that they are compromising the future of the city. MORE

Feb. 11, 2013

Editorial raises concerns about new redevelopment plan for office buildings issued by New York City for East Midtown; praises Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his planners for making promising start, but warns that it should not be rushed and city must take time to get zoning changes right. MORE

Jan. 29, 2013

Editorial calls on New Jersey Supreme Court to reaffirm its 1983 ruling in Mount Laurel fair-housing case when it hears cases two cases brought before court by Gov Chris Christie and some wealthy communities; observes that 1983 decision greatly influenced fair-housing policy across nation by holding that municipalities had obligation through zoning to help meet their region's need for affordable housing. MORE

Nov. 29, 2012

Park Slope Community Education Council approves elementary school rezoning proposal designed to relieve overcrowding in neighborhood's well-regarded public schools; council members call measure an imperfect but necessary solution. MORE

Nov. 26, 2012

New York City Council panel will consider new zoning regulations that will reduce how many parking spaces must be built with new residential developments in Downtown Brooklyn, which has many public transportation options; new zoning will allow developers who already have excess parking to reclaim unneeded space for other uses. MORE

Oct. 18, 2012

New York City Education Department proposes new boundaries for some of Brooklyn’s most-sought-after elementary school zones, all in and near Park Slope, drawing anxious parents to an auditorium to see the redrawn map for the first time. MORE

Oct. 16, 2012

Proposals to shuffle or eliminate zone lines in Washington Heights section of Manhattan and in Park Slope, Brooklyn are raising alarms among parents and real estate brokers; zoning, which can inflate property values on certain blocks, also determines where children attend school. MORE

Oct. 7, 2012

New York City Mayor Michael R Bloomberg's administration officials say district around Grand Central Terminal needs new zoning laws allowing for taller towers; proposal has stirred criticism from some urban planners, community boards, and City Council members, who contend that Bloomberg is acting hastily. MORE

Aug. 31, 2012

Justice Louis B York of State Supreme Court in Manhattan rules that a 2001 New York City law was unconstitutional in seeking to reduce the number of stores and clubs that offer a mix of sexual content and other materials in neighborhoods where X-rated establishments are banned; ruling questions whether city's real intent is to regulate the content of expression, a violation of rights to freedom of free speech. MORE

Over the last century, changes in zoning have created a unique predicament for nearly 40 percent of buildings in Manhattan. Find out which of Manhattan's 43,000 buildings defy their zoning restrictions.